Following a comfortable 4-1 win against Cagliari in the Coppa Italia last Tuesday, AC Milan travelled to face a struggling Empoli side in a must-win game in the race to lock up a top four spot.
A lot of starters returned to the line-up after the mass rotation against Cagliari with Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud and Ruben Loftus-Cheek among those who came back in.
Two of the aforementioned names combined for the first goal early on as Leao laid the ball on a plate for Loftus-Cheek who buried the chance with a tidy finish into the far corner. The Englishman then won a penalty in the 31st minute, which was converted by Giroud.
Empoli started the second half well as Milan seemed to go into energy conservation mode ahead of the Atalanta and Roma games, but they did make it 3-0 through Chaka Traore on the break late on to seal the win. Here are five things we observed during the game…
1. The tank is back
As mentioned, Loftus-Cheek was the man who opened up the scoring with a very composed finish (Tijjani Reijnders, take note) and then won the penalty for his side from nothing after an acrobatic attempt on goal.
Whilst the Englishman played well in an advanced role, he also did his bit in the non-possession phase by dropping in to form a three in midfield. He won a lot of duels, showcasing his physicality and was efficient in both aspects of the game.
The former Chelsea man has had some ups and downs as of late – perhaps mostly due to his physical condition – but this was an impressive performance that earned him our post-game MOTM award. Pioli will be hoping that he builds on this, with the tight schedule ahead and some tougher games.
2. A constant in the middle
Reijnders started the season really well, establishing himself as a starter virtually immediately, but then went on a run of not-so-convincing displays in which the team around him also struggled.
Now he’s on a different kind of run where every game he plays he’s the engine in the middle. The Dutchman is composed and very good in possession, keeping the ball in his feet very well showcasing his technique, but also orchestrating the game with good vision off the game and precise passes.
He loves carrying the ball forward too and he does that well, proving that Milan have a great box-to-box midfielder on their hands who has found consistency as of late and is making that €20m price tag look like a bargain.
3. Efficient down the flanks
Leao finally ended his goal drought against Cagliari in the Coppa Italia and was hoping he could end his league one against Empoli. That didn’t happen, but the Portuguese provided a lovely assist to Loftus-Cheek on the first goal after a signature move.
He left his man behind using his pace down the flank, something we have come to expect, and showed composure to pick the right option. The winger was a constant threat on that left side and seemed to enjoy himself.
His partner on the right Christian Pulisic also did what was needed. Although he did have a mediocre game, he still got a goal contribution thanks to an excellent run in which the American got the ball in his half and carried it all the way before squaring to Chaka Traore unselfishly.
Perhaps Pulisic has been struggling to be constantly dangerous in games – after all he is not as athletically explosive as Leao – but even in these matches he manages to make the difference with a moment of quality.
4. Theo continues to lead the way
Theo Hernandez started in the middle of the defence again and led his team to not only another win but also a clean sheet, something which always seems in doubt with such a makeshift defensive combination.
He didn’t pick up any flashy assists like in the Cagliar game but he was very solid defensively and didn’t miss the chance to join the attack either. His work rate is simply outstanding and he has now started nine games in a row.
At this point, it’s becoming hard to tell if the former Real Madrid man is even playing out of position as he seems confident playing there. This also opens up a lot of new potential ideas for Pioli to utilise even when his centre-backs return, such as a three-man defence.
5. A perfect week
Chaka Traorè scored his first ever senior Milan goal against Cagliari and although he didn’t get the chance to start against Empoli, he did come on off the bench in the second half and made the most out of another opportunity
In the interests of being totally transparent, it was a scrappy goal against Cagliari where the goalkeeper should have done better. This time around we saw a much better finish where the winger showed composure and precision to place the ball in the far corner.
The teenager finished the week with two goals in two games and that will surely boost his confidence, but above all he has also shown Pioli that he can really on him when rotation is needed, which it will be with a deep Coppa Italia and/or Europa League run.
